MotoGP Qualifying Results From Phillip Island: 1. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:29.337 2. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:29.443 3. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:29.729 4. Carlos CHECA, Ducati, 1:29.775 5. Colin EDWARDS, Yamaha, 1:29.943 6. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:30.070 7. Toni ELIAS, Yamaha, 1:30.094 8. Marco MELANDRI, Honda, 1:30.322 9. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:30.624 10. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:30.628 11. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:30.667 12. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:30.757 13. Olivier JACQUE, Kawasaki, 1:31.079 14. Chris VERMEULEN, Honda, 1:31.654 15. Ruben XAUS, Yamaha, 1:31.728 16. Roberto ROLFO, Ducati, 1:33.495 17. James ELLISON, Blata, 1:33.673 Not qualified (Out 107%) 1’35.590 18. Franco BATTAINI, Blata, 1:35.933 19. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, did not ride in qualifying 20. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, did not ride in qualifying More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: NAKANO QUALIFIES TOP TEN AT SUNNY PHILLIP ISLAND Kawasaki rider, Shinya Nakano, recovered from a harmless crash to qualify in tenth place for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. While Nakano heads the fourth row of the grid, his French teammate, Kawasaki test rider Olivier Jacque, will start from thirteenth in his return to racing after missing the Qatar Grand Prix. Track conditions were near perfect for qualifying, sunny and cool, with the usually gusty winds of Phillip Island staying calm for the one hour session that saw Nicky Hayden qualify on pole position. After crashing at the first hairpin Nakano returned to the track on his spare Ninja ZX-RR and posted his fastest lap, half a second under the track record, with 12 minutes remaining. Unfortunately Nakano’s spill upset his normally fast and smooth qualifying rhythm, and the Japanese ace was disappointed not to be starting further up the grid. Overnight improvements to machine set-up, and further evaluation of a new range of Bridgestone tyres, have allowed Nakano to find a consistent race package. In his first race appearance at Phillip Island on the Ninja ZX-RR, Jacque has made a dramatic improvement over two days of practice and qualifying, dropping his times by more than three seconds. Jacque was more comfortable today with improved grip levels and more stable set-up, although he is still finding the limits of braking performance, especially on the hard braking required for the first hairpin. Again today the 4.4km Phillip Island circuit, with its dominant sequence of fast left-hand curves, presented the problem of generating heat and grip into rear tyres. Tomorrow’s 27-lap race is the 15th round of the MotoGP World Championship, with Nakano aiming to consolidate his top ten position in the championship standings. Shinya Nakano: #56 – Tenth – 1’30.628 “I’m okay after the crash, I just bumped my head a little and have a small bruise on my right foot – but for sure I can race at 100%, luckily I have nothing broken. I crashed on entry to the first hairpin while trying a different specification rear tyre, but the the right-side was not working at all. I was hoping for a stronger qualifying, but for the race I think we have a consistent package, our race tyre performance is good, but it will not be easy to stay with the front group. There is no big problem, just many small things that we could improve for better overall lap time – even small improvements to braking stability and traction would help a lot.” Olivier Jacque: #19 – Thirteenth – 1’31.079 “Today was a more comfortable day, I’m much happier with the grip level, and I am now more confident for my first time here on the ZX-RR. My times have come down in every session since Friday morning and I think there is more to come, but now it is time to race. However, another two hours of practice would be good! It’s just a matter of set-up, especially in the fast corners and for braking stability. I went straight-on a couple of times at the Hairpin, so in the race I know I have to be less optimistic about braking performance. And through the fast left handers I need to concentrate on finding more corner speed and traction. In two days we have made some good steps, hopefully I can move forward in the race.” Harald Eckl: Team Manager “Shinya was unlucky to crash in these circumstances and it put him out of rhythm for the session. Compared to other circuits this appears not be one that favours Shinya and I expect this will not be an easy race for the Kawasaki team.” More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Yamaha: GAULOISES YAMAHA PAIR SEAL TOP FIVE STARTS AT PHILLIP ISLAND Gauloises Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards both lapped inside the previous pole record time at Phillip Island today in a highly competitive battle for grid positions ahead of tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix. Rossi shaved almost six tenths off the record time he set here two years ago to secure a front row start in second place behind pole setter Nicky Hayden (Honda). Team-mate Edwards was in equally impressive form, knocking almost two seconds off his best effort from yesterday as he became one of only five riders to dip under the 1’30 mark at the legendary track. After tussling with Carlos Checa (Ducati) at the top of the time sheets for the majority of the session, Rossi launched his attack for pole in the final few minutes but was held up by another rider in the final two corners of his fastest lap. The Italian chose not to finish the lap and came in to switch to a fresh tyre for one last attempt, which didn’t quite match the pace of his first and fell 0.106 seconds short of Hayden’s record-breaking effort of 1’29.337. Edwards improved as the session progressed, ironing out some set-up difficulties with the YZR-M1 before clocking his personal best time at this circuit and sealing a second row start in fifth place. VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd 1’29.443 31 laps) “I was quite confident for pole position because the team have done a great job with the bike this weekend and it worked well from yesterday. I lost my best opportunity to take pole when I was held up by Xaus in the final corner; I tried to overtake him but I wasn’t able to so I came in and tried again with another tyre. Anyway, sometimes that happens. I tried my best and my lap time was very fast but in the end Nicky was faster so congratulations to him it was a great ride. I am quite happy because the bike is good and second place is not so bad. It will be a hard race, especially for the tyres, but hopefully the good weather will continue tomorrow!” COLIN EDWARDS (5th 1’29.943 28 laps) “When you look back to yesterday the situation today is miles better. It looked like we were going to have a rough weekend but the team have worked really hard and we’ve worked the majority of the problems out. The truth is that we’ve still got room for improvement but if we can make progress in tomorrow’s warm-up in the same way we moved forward today then we should be in even better shape for the race. I must admit that I’m a little relieved because it’s a big race for me and after the first couple of practice sessions I wasn’t too confident. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully I can put on a good show for the family, friends and fans who have come down to support me.” DAVIDE BRIVIO GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “There was a lot of traffic on the track today and a lot of riders trying to follow Valentino to set a good time. The penultimate tyre he used was probably the best, but he got held up by Xaus and he was very sensible to come in and take a fresh tyre for another attempt. Anyway, even without the pole position Valentino has shown himself to be very strong today and he has a good race pace. Colin has also taken some big steps forward since yesterday, so we are confident both our riders can have a good day tomorrow. We have already won the Riders’ and Teams’ titles and we hope we can complete the trio with the Manufacturers’ championship tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Hayden clinches third pole with fastest ever lap of Phillip Island Nicky Hayden became the fastest rider ever to complete a lap of the legendary Phillip Island circuit as he obliterated the pole position record in today’s single qualifying practice for the Polini Australian Grand Prix. The American set a time of 1’29.337 despite being held up by a slower rider just two corners from the end, his effort beating Valentino Rossi’s previous record here by 0.731 seconds and holding off the Italian’s own challenge by a single tenth. “My goal was to lap below 1’29.5 but the qualifying tyres just got better and better and on the last one I was really going for it,” said Hayden, who also started from pole at Laguna Seca and Sachsenring this season. “The bike is working well, the tyres have plenty of grip and that’s when I love it. It’s always nice to be on pole but it’s tomorrow that counts. Everybody in the team is doing their bit and they’re all right behind me so all I can do is try to put on good show and see what happens.” Rossi was also held up by a slower rider on his fastest lap, eventually abandoning a potential pole effort to change tyres and launch one final attempt with just two minutes remaining. However, the World Champion was unable to match his previous pace and had to settle for second place on the grid as he looks to score his fifth straight MotoGP victory at this circuit in tomorrow’s race. Sete Gibernau gatecrashed the front row in third place at the expense of his Spanish compatriot Carlos Checa, who dominated for much of the session but will start from the front of the second row in fourth place. Colin Edwards knocked almost two seconds off his best time from a problematic first day as he moved up to fifth place overall and secured a second row start between Checa and Max Biaggi, who flirted with the front row positions before eventually dropping to sixth. Marco Melandri will challenge Biaggi for second place in the championship from eighth on the grid after being out-qualified by rookie youngster Toni Elías, who continued his recent form after recovering from a wrist injury to record his best MotoGP qualifying position in seventh place. Further back on the grid Chris Vermeulen will make his MotoGP debut as a replacement for the injured Troy Bayliss from fourteenth place after an impressive display. The Australian lapped within a second of his Honda team-mate Alex Barros and just 2.317 seconds off Hayden’s pole time, the pace of which was highlighted by the fact that WCM rider Franco Battaini did not meet the official qualifying time after failing to lap within 107% of pole. Vermeulen’s compatriot Casey Stoner will start his home race from pole position after setting the fastest ever lap of this circuit by a 250cc machine with a time of 1’32.756 in the second qualifying session for the quarter-litre class. Stoner is targeting his third consecutive victory as he looks to close the 26-point gap to series leader and reigning World Champion Dani Pedrosa, who starts from the second row of the grid after qualifying sixth fastest. The Australian is joined on the front row by Jorge Lorenzo, who escaped unhurt from a high-speed crash in turn one just seconds after setting his fastest lap, Alex de Angelis and last year’s winner Sebastián Porto, who failed to improve on his provisional pole time from yesterday after suffering from mechanical problems with ten minutes of the session remaining. 125cc World Championship leader Mika Kallio will start from the second row of the grid after seeing his nearest title rival, Thomas Lüthi, clinch pole position. Lüthi, who lies just two points behind Kallio in the current standings, clocked a time of 1’37.543 to seal his fourth pole of the season with a 0.161 second advantage over Mattia Pasini. Gabor Talmacsi and Marco Simoncelli complete the front row, with the top twelve riders separated by less than a second. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Hopkins working hard down under Team SUZUKI Racer John Hopkins has qualified in 11th position for tomorrow’s Polini Australian Grand Prix, where he will be Suzuki’s sole representative for the race. Hopkins (1’30.667) used this morning’s final practice session and a big slice of this afternoon’s qualifying to fine tune the set-up of his Suzuki GSV-R for Sunday’s 27-lap race. He used the latest generation Bridgestone race tyres designed to cope with the high speed Phillip Island track and increased temperatures – to their full extent, and was able to prove their consistency and durability over a race distance. He still has a number of things to iron out before the race starts tomorrow, and will be working hard with his crew this evening – and in morning practice – to make sure he gets the very best from both machine and tyres in the race. Hopkins is racing on his own due to the unfortunate injury that sidelined team-mate Kenny Roberts Jr yesterday. Roberts Jr has suffered a fracture to the left wrist and is already on his way back to America for further tests and treatment. He hopes to be fit for the final round of the MotoGP World Championship at Valencia next month. The qualifying session was held in sunny conditions with the fastest time and pole position set by Nicky Hayden on a Honda. He will be joined on the front row by Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau, when round 15 of the championship gets underway tomorrow at 14.30hrs (local time), 06.30hrs CET. John Hopkins: “We have been struggling a little bit throughout the weekend. We are working really hard with the set-up and we have tried to improve the edge-grip. This we have done but we now have a bit of a chatter problem. We are trying everything we can but unfortunately we haven’t found a solution yet. There are a couple more things that myself and the team will work on this evening and hopefully find that solution. Fourth row is obviously not where we want to be, but one of the positives that has come out of it is that we are nearly one and a half seconds quicker than we were last year so that shows the improvements made to the bike. I’m confident that we can come up with a solution and find about half-a-second a lap and fight for a top-10 position tomorrow.” Paul Denning Team Manager: “John made a big effort today. The qualifying result is a long way away from the best we have seen this year but the effort and application from the team has been the same as ever. We’ve worked through a large combination of chassis settings to help the grip and done lots of laps on the chosen Bridgestone race tyres. The tyres will easily complete race distance at a consistent pace. We are struggling with ultimate speed on the lap-times and we could do with more punch off the corners to help us at this circuit. John is certainly making every effort he can but hopefully he can tidy things up a little, and the bike can improve further plus without Kenny here John doesn’t have a gauge. He has qualified in a decent position on the fourth row and if he gets a good start I’m sure that he will be able to keep with the faster guys and go for another top-10 finish.” More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda: ALEX HAS GOOD RACE PACE, CHRIS RAPIDLY IMPROVING Alex Barros will start the Australian GP from the fourth row of the grid tomorrow, despite having showed over two days of practice he is capable of being much closer to the front in the race. Chris Vermeulen has impressed the team with how quickly he is picking up confidence with the machine and the tyres. The young Australian made huge strides forward in the four hours of practice, lowering his times by a second in every session and cut his gap to the top rider by half a second compared to yesterday. Sito Pons Camel Honda “It’s a shame that Alex was unable to use his final qualifying tyre because I think that he could have taken three or four more tenths off and started further up the grid. Nevertheless, his race pace is quite good so I think that tomorrow he could improve. As regards Chris, I think he’s doing a great job, and has improved in every session so far. He’s capable of riding at the limit from the very first lap and that’s a positive thing because if he gets a good start that quality will help him have a good race. Anyway, I think tomorrow he can go out on track with no pressure on him, the only aim is to pick up experience. This is how he will get the best possible result.” Alex Barros Camel Honda 1’30.757 12th position “I’m abjectly disappointed with today’s practices because it’s not easy to overtake here and to start this far back is a handicap. We calculated the time wrong today and I couldn’t use the last qualifying tyre to take a few more tenths off. My pace in race configuration is okay, in the low 1’31s, but 1’30s are what’s needed really. In any case, I’m not beaten yet and tomorrow I will do everything I can to get a good result.” Chris Vermeulen Camel Honda 1’31.654 14th position “It’s fantastic to ride with this team and this bike. We made improvements in every session starting out at 1’34 and ending up at 1’31. I think that is a good margin in four hours and I’m delighted with it. We’re working together well and I am also getting on with the Michelin engineers. The qualifying tyres offer incredible grip and even though I didn’t make the most of them I still enjoyed myself using them. So tomorrow I hope to be able to improve my times even further and lap at a constant rhythm. My aim is to finish in the points and as close to another Honda rider as possible.” More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: SETE ON THE FRONT ROW AT PHILLIP ISLAND Gibernau and Melandri will have to work on their race pace in the warm-up AUSTRALIAN GP – MOTOGP QUALIFYING PRACTICE The Telefónica Movistar Honda MotoGP team endured a particularly difficult day at Phillip Island today. Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri were both unable to follow up their positive feelings after yesterday’s free practice with a good performance in this afternoon’s qualifying session. Sete Gibernau managed the third fastest time and will start from the front row of the grid for the twelfth time this season tomorrow but the Movistar rider revealed that his fastest lap is not a fair reflection of his situation and says he is still lacking race pace. His team-mate Marco Melandri will start from the third row after making several modifications to his set-up that did not improve the performance of the bike today. The Italian is confident that he can find a better balance for the bike in tomorrow’s warm-up, however, as he looks ahead to a particularly special Grand Prix for him. Phillip Island is one of his favourites circuits and he has won races here in both 125cc and 250cc in the past. SETE GIBERNAU (3rd, 1’29″729): “My fastest lap doesn’t reflect the true situation we are in. We lapped really well at this circuit in preseason and now we were unable to do so. I can’t be happy at all because we haven’t got a good race pace. The team is analysing the data now to see if they can come up with something for the warm-up that will at least give us the chance to fight for the podium.” MARCO MELANDRI (8th, 1’30″322): “We made a few modifications this afternoon to try and improve the performance of the bike but we haven’t had the results that we had hoped for. We’ll work hard with the team to try and find a solution before the race.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: FLYING HAYDEN STORMS TO THIRD POLE OF SEASON Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) notched his third pole position of the season with a storming lap of 1m 29.337 seconds here at the demanding 4.448km Phillip Island circuit in Australia. His effort was 0.731 seconds inside the previous best qualifying time. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) qualified second and Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) also achieved a front row start for the 12th time this season. Carlos Checa (Ducati) was the early pacesetter here heading the grid in the early stages of the hour-long qualifying session before Rossi put in a 1m 30.621 second lap in the first quarter. With five minutes to go the Spaniard was the fastest man on the track, but Hayden’s last gasp lap was more than he could respond to. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) showed well in the early stages, and even with 12 minutes left on the clock the Roman lay third in the order. But as the pace hotted up with ultra-grippy qualifying tyres fitted in the final ten minutes he was bounced down to the second row of the grid. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) was another man who showed good pace with his race set-up, briefly occupying third place with 45 minutes to go to qualify ninth eventually. At the halfway point the front row was Checa, Rossi and Hayden with Tamada, Biaggi and Gibernau on row two. Hayden now seems to have got the measure of qualifying tyres and the long left-hand turn onto the start/finish straight suited his long dirt-track apprenticeship the man from Kentucky fired his RC211V onto the chute with real venom in the final minute to make pole his own. Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) never quite got to grips with the track this time and ended up eighth fastest qualifier. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) managed 12th while Chris Vermeulen, standing in for the injured Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V), qualified a creditable 14th. Nicky said, “Pole’s pretty cool. The Michelin qualifiers today were really good. I used three sets and they seemed to get better and better. There are times round here when you really shouldn’t be opening the gas but the tyres just gripped amazing. We’re struggling a little on race pace to be honest so we’re definitely going to have to dig in tomorrow but I’ll enjoy the pole now.” Gibernau said, “My fastest lap doesn’t reflect the true situation we’re in. We lapped really well at this circuit in pre-season and now we can’t. I’m not happy at all because we haven’t got a good race pace. The team is checking the data now to see if they can come up with something for the warm-up that will at least give us the chance to fight for the podium.” Max said, “I can’t say I’m totally happy to be on the second row, but considering where we’ve qualified recently this isn’t so bad. What’s encouraging is that the bike seems to be more balanced than we’ve had it all weekend. We’ve had trouble getting weight on the front and traction at the back but it definitely seems things are getting better. We seem to be able to make some regular fast laps on race tyres.” Eighth fastest qualifier Marco Melandri said, “We made a few modifications this afternoon to try and improve the bike, but we haven’t had the results we hoped for. We’ll work hard with the team to try and find a solution before the race.” Tamada, ninth fastest today, said, “Today we tried many settings and things have improved. During the afternoon session I found myself just behind Colin Edwards for a few laps and I could maintain his rhythm. This gave me more confidence and made me understand that if I start well tomorrow near the leading group I can battle with everybody.” Barros, in 12th, said, “I’m deeply disappointed with today’s practice because it’s not easy to overtake here and to start this far back is a handicap. We calculated the time wrong today and I couldn’t use the last qualifying tyre to take a few more tenths off my lap. My race pace is OK; in the low 1m 31s, but 1m 30s are what’s needed really. In any case, I’m not beaten yet and tomorrow I will do everything I can to get a good result.” Aussie stand-in Chris Vermeulen said, “It’s fantastic to ride with this team and this bike. We made improvements in every session starting out at 1m 34s and ending up at 1m 31s. I think that’s a good margin in four hours and I’m delighted with it. We’re working together well and I am also getting on with the Michelin engineers. The qualifying tyres offer incredible grip and even though I didn’t make the most of them I still enjoyed using them. Tomorrow I hope to be able to improve my times even further and lap at a constant rhythm. My aim is to finish in the points and as close to another Honda rider as possible.” HONDA TEAM QUOTES: MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 1st: “Pole’s pretty cool. The Michelin qualifiers today were really good. I used three sets and they seemed to get better and better. There are times round here when you really shouldn’t be opening the gas but the tyres just gripped amazing. On that last lap I just hung in there. Me and Rolfo almost came together! I was pretty committed so I just had to stick the bike up the inside and hope. I thought it wasn’t going to be pretty but it worked out OK. We’re struggling a little on race pace to be honest so we’re definitely going to have to dig in tomorrow but I’ll enjoy the pole now. The guys have done a great job all weekend and we’ve kinda’ snuck up to the front little by little.” Sete Gibernau, MoviStar Honda: 3rd: “My fastest lap doesn’t reflect the true situation we are in. We lapped really well at this circuit in preseason and now we were unable to do so. I can’t be happy at all because we haven’t got a good race pace and the worst thing is that at the moment we don’t know how to put things right. The team is analysing the data now to see if they can come up with something for the warm-up that will at least give us the chance to fight for the podium.” Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda: 6th: “I can’t say I totally am happy to be on the second row but considering where we have qualified recently this is not so bad. What is encouraging is that the bike seems to be more balanced than we have had it all weekend. We’ve had trouble getting weight on the front and traction at the back but it definitely seems that things are coming better. We seem to be able to make some regular fast laps on race tyres which is good for the race. Tomorrow we still have a lot for work to do before we are ready for the race.” Marco Melandri, MoviStar Honda: 8th: “We made a few modifications this afternoon to try and improve the performance of the bike but we haven’t had the results that we had hoped for. We’ll work hard with the team to try and find a solution before the race.” Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 9th: “Today we have tried many setting solutions and things have sensibly improved. During the afternoon session I found my self just behind Colin Edwards for a few laps and I could maintain his rhythm. This has given me much more confidence to continue the qualifying session and made me understand that if I will start well tomorrow remaining near the leading group I can battle with everybody. In the afternoon I tried three soft rear tyres, with the first I didn’t feel good, while with the last set I committed a small mistake which didn’t allow me to improve my best performance. I hope to start well tomorrow and I mostly hope that my physical conditions will get better because this influenza has surely not helped me during these first two days of work.” Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 12th: “I’m abjectly disappointed with today’s practices because it’s not easy to overtake here and to start this far back is a handicap. We calculated the time wrong today and I couldn’t use the last qualifying tyre to take a few more tenths off. My pace in race configuration is okay, in the low 1’31s, but 1’30s are what’s needed really. In any case, I’m not beaten yet and tomorrow I will do everything I can to get a good result.” Chris Vermeulen, replacement rider for Troy Bayliss at Camel Honda: 14th: “It’s fantastic to ride with this team and this bike. We made improvements in every session starting out at 1’34 and ending up at 1’31. I think that is a good margin in four hours and I’m delighted with it. We’re working together well and I am also getting on with the Michelin engineers. The qualifying tyres offer incredible grip and even though I didn’t make the most of them I still enjoyed myself using them. So tomorrow I hope to be able to improve my times even further and lap at a constant rhythm. My aim is to finish in the points and as close to another Honda rider as possible.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: ONE-MAN DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM ON THE PACE The Ducati Marlboro Team is down to one man at Phillip Island, Carlos Checa doing a fine job in today’s practice and qualifying sessions while team-mate Loris Capirossi continued his recovery in a Melbourne hospital from yesterday’s high-speed tumble.Checa ran fastest or second fastest through much of the morning and afternoon sessions, eventually taking fourth spot on the grid, just 0.046 seconds off a front-row start. “It’s a pity that Carlos missed the front row by so little, because he’s been doing an incredible job today,” said Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “On race tyres Carlos and Valentino Rossi were well ahead of the rest, but we still lack a little with qualifying tyres. Carlos did some very fast, consistent runs with the same tyres in both morning and afternoon sessions, and that’s the main thing, that we are looking good on race tyres, which makes us feel pretty confident about tomorrow. Our thanks to Bridgestone for their big effort. Of course, it’s a great shame that Loris isn’t here because he really loves this track, he’s the lap record holder and he’s finished on the podium the last two years. We wish him all the speediest of recoveries.” CHECA CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY Carlos Checa celebrated his 33rd birthday today with some stunningly fast runs on his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici, suggesting that he will be in the hunt for victory tomorrow. Greeted at the end of qualifying by his team with two birthday cakes and sparklers, the Spaniard is feeling confident even if his performance on qualifying tyres wasn’t quite enough to get him onto the front row. “Getting older. and faster!” grinned Checa, who became the first man to ride a sub-one and a half minute lap of Phillip Island with 15 minutes of this afternoon’s session remaining. “Today was a really good day for us, good testing and good work. I feel comfortable on the bike and I’m very happy with the race tyres we’ve got here, so I was able to do some fast runs. For the race I feel we have the potential to be in the fight for victory. My thanks to Bridgestone and to the team for all their work. and the birthday cakes! I will have a quiet evening tonight so I’m ready for tomorrow. Maybe we’ll be able to have a good birthday party tomorrow night. ” CAPIROSSI STABLE IN MELBOURNE Loris Capirossi is stable and comfortable in Melbourne’s Cabrini hospital, following his heavy tumble at Turn One during Friday afternoon practice. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider suffered chest injuries in the fall and is still having bleeding from around his right lung drained. He is expected to leave hospital within the next day or two but has already been ruled out of next weekend’s inaugural Turkish MotoGP event. “Loris is in hospital, being very well looked after by local doctors and a member of the Clinica Mobile staff, he is in some pain but in good spirits,” explained Livio Suppo. “We will decide over the next day or so when he will return home to Europe. There are two options: he may be able to fly in a few days, with the chest drain still attached, or wait 12 days or so and fly home normally. For sure he will miss Turkey, which unfortunately means we’re now considering a replacement rider for that race.”